MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Why are YA novels immediately recognizable as YA novels?

haertig · 06-03-2019, 01:53 PM

Thanks for the replies.

I think many of the responses may have hit on it: "more direct and straightforward". In the YA book I'm reading now, the characters step into an alternate Earth that advanced in parallel to our Earth, but without man's presence.

The writing says things like (paraphrased) "there was a herd of buffalo in the distance", as opposed to describing the scene and letting the reader apply their knowledge, learning and experience and deduce that they are buffalo without being explicitly told from the get-go. In other words, the story is spoon fed to you, without requiring much analysis or thinking on your part.

That's a good theory for identifying a YA book. It fits the one I'm currently reading. Plus, the main characters are indeed teenagers - recent high school grads. I don't have any real problem being spoon-fed (as long as the spoon isn't too large!), and these YA novels can be read quickly for Saturday afternoon enjoyment, without having to worry if your mind wandered off and you missed some subtle point that was important. I'm thinking "quick read" may describe these books because one, they are usually short, but also two, it doesn't take much mental energy to read them - you're almost skimming and speed reading without realizing it.

06-03-2019, 01:53 PM	#10
haertig Wizard Posts: 1,897 Karma: 31522252 Join Date: Sep 2017 Device: PW3, Fire HD8 Gen7, Moto G7, Sansa Clip v2, Ruizu X26	Thanks for the replies. I think many of the responses may have hit on it: "more direct and straightforward". In the YA book I'm reading now, the characters step into an alternate Earth that advanced in parallel to our Earth, but without man's presence. The writing says things like (paraphrased) "there was a herd of buffalo in the distance", as opposed to describing the scene and letting the reader apply their knowledge, learning and experience and deduce that they are buffalo without being explicitly told from the get-go. In other words, the story is spoon fed to you, without requiring much analysis or thinking on your part. That's a good theory for identifying a YA book. It fits the one I'm currently reading. Plus, the main characters are indeed teenagers - recent high school grads. I don't have any real problem being spoon-fed (as long as the spoon isn't too large!), and these YA novels can be read quickly for Saturday afternoon enjoyment, without having to worry if your mind wandered off and you missed some subtle point that was important. I'm thinking "quick read" may describe these books because one, they are usually short, but also two, it doesn't take much mental energy to read them - you're almost skimming and speed reading without realizing it.